What Gov. Orji Doesn’t Know About A Chief Press Secretary

A colleague once told me that he is used to such noise. When he was writinga column for a national newspaper, a lot of people abused him each time hewrote and exposed a former governor in the South-East. One of the abuserseven took a full page in another national newspaper to reply him. Accordingto my colleague, the abuser warned him that he (my colleague) was based inAbuja and had no links to Aba, Umuahia, Owerri or any other part ofSouth-East, and as such, must be on the payroll of a former governor of oneof the states in the region. My colleague said that he later met his abuserin Abuja after that episode, and he (abuser) bought him beer andentertained him and said that my colleague’s article actually gave him (theabuser) some money. That he got a budget to reply my colleague. So, mycolleague told me that he was used to such. He warned me that I should noteven think about getting fair comment on this writing career because thosewho feel I am hurting their source of money will fight me.

Like my colleague, I am also used to such tantrums and now have an abuserin one Ugochukwu Emezue who parades himself as the Chief Press Secretary(CPS) to the Abia State Governor. In his rather jaundiced propaganda hecirculated on the Internet on Wednesday, 8 August 2012 against me throughe-mail, he took pills prescribed for leprosy for malaria. He left to give answers to the questions I posited in my recent article entitled, “Why Orji Will Not Thank God”. Emezue ratherpreferred to bask in the excitement of not losing his job, but has succeeded in exposing himself to public ridicule, where he is chasing shadow, against me. His body language has added a voice to the position of my colleague that there are people who are opposed to the truth, because of the money they are rewarded for their heinous work from their paymaster(s).

With my picture published alongside his mischievous message against me,Emezue in three separate articles circulated as breaking news, maybe toattract people’s attention, said that I am a blackmailer, ex-convict,linked to Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu… Hear him: “It was learnt that Kalu used himfor his dirty deals while in office and all the promises the formergovernor made to him were not fulfilled. Angered by this, Onwumere who wasonce jailed in Port Harcourt for libel, threatened to expose Kalu, asituation that forced the Igbere politician to enter into an agreement topay him 30 thousand a month to blackmail…” Emezue said that I roam thestreets of Port Harcourt complaining, that Kalu does not want to employ mein SUN newspapers. And that his sources close to Kalu confirmed hisinvestigation.

He further said that I write poor articles. Can someone please tell Emezuethat he writes rich articles as we can see and read how he has beenmisleading Governor T.A Orji by telling him that all are well because hewas afraid that I was threatening his source of money with truth? Indefending Chinedu Orji (Ikuku), the son of Gov. Orji, Emezue could not tellus the occupation of the junior Orji, but rather was making foolery ofhimself thus: “Onwumere has again engaged in another futile effort as hetries in vain to blackmail. In a poorly written article, (his now famoustrademark), the ex-convict who claims to be a poet questioned the rationalebehind the powering of OCHENDO YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SCHEME by Ikuku…”

Hear Emezue again and make your judgment: “For the records, Engr. Chineduis first a bright and ingenuous Abia Youth before being the son of theGovernor. He does not hold any political office, neither is he employed byAbia State government. He has the interest of budding Abia Youths at heartand has consistently sought for a better life for the very many of them,who suffer one form of inhibition or the other. The Empowerment Scheme isthe brain-child of creative thinking. He uses two major skills – appealingto the conscience of the haves in the society and then speaks to wealthycorporate bodies, individuals and groups with reason. In turn, he harnessestremendous support from these bodies just for the benefit of Abia Youths.”

While Emezue fumed before thinking, what did he tell the world that wasthe occupation of Chinedu as his track recorder of humanitarian services?Where was Chinedu getting all the money for these media-oriented“humanitarian services”? Not the lies said above. Your guess is good asmine.

I had tried to resist the temptation of joining issue with this literaryamoeba, but for the records. In one of his articles against me titled,“Abia Denies Fake Loan Allegation” Emezue succeeded in attracting commentsfrom readers on pointblank.com thus: (1) Take a walk around Abia State, andAba in particular, you will weep for the state and ask yourself if truly asane man rules this state. The governor is clueless, directionless, vague,empty, irresponsible, fake, an albatross, insensitive to what governance isall about and plight of the people. From cemetery road market, Eziukwu rd,Ngwa rd, Azikiwe rd, Ohanku rd, Ama-Ogbonna and many more roads areimpassable above these, he laden people with all manner of levy in the bidto amass wealth as much as possible before his tenure expires. He hassecret agenda to buy up all buildings in Abia State but before him his sonwill sell all of them and he will retire to old age with nothing, just markthis words. The only thing worthy of him at this moment is to commitsuicide for he is a disgrace on humanity and good conscience. (2) UgochukwuEmezue knows that Abia State has been unfortunate since Nigeria returned tocivil rule. The writer, whom I know in person, isn’t a politician. All thesame, Emezue must do what he’s paid to do – tell lies pretending them to betrue; turn a blind eye to falsehood to shield his master; rob Peter to payPaul just to belong and eventually say, “I was only performing myduties.” Abia people need to engage God in prayer of penitence for His mercy and compassion to give them a governor. I’m not a politician and forever would never be, but just thought to correct Emezue’s assertion as to prevent others buying into his misinformation.

I don’t know these people because they commented with their Group names onthe website. The second comment has tried to give answer to what Emezuewanted to sell to the public that I was. And I challenge him that if he byany means had any information that I was an ex-convict and all that meantfor the trash bin he wrote against me, he should place a paid advertorialin any national newspaper with his name – Ugochukwu Emezue.

My heart bleeds when I read these things from someone who said that he is aCPS. I think that there is nothing wrong with Orji employing a CPS, but hemade a wrong choice in Ugochukwu Emezue, who is majorly embarking onrevenue drive with his venomous articles just to score a point – make moremoney from Orji they have hypnotized with wrong information. My worrystalks from the fact that first, Emezue has refused to list the servicesthe Orji-led government is rendering, placing them side by side withrevenue accruing from the Federation Account for Abia State. Does he claimto know everything? Then there is staid problem on hand!

Against Kalu he has labeled as “corrupt” I will not say anything on thisbut will also challenge Emezue to place a paid advertorial in any nationalnewspaper and make bold his claim. Against his claim about my link withKalu, how I wish that I can work for Kalu for free than work with Emezue ina government that is mostly in motion without action. I beseech Orji

tolook for a serious Chief Press Secretary and be marveled how informed hisgovernment will be and act upon such. I always tell people that corruptionisn’t only fraudulent activity or illegal embezzlement of public funds bythe politicians, but also when people who are supposed to tell the truthpreferred to tell the obverse. What shall we call that kind of practice, ifnot corruption? Is Emezue not one of them?

It behooves a Chief Press Secretary to tell his boss the truth and not tellmammoth lies based on assumption owing to the fact that he wants to makemore money. This practice is like a medical doctor who placed his practiceon assumption because all that the doctor wanted was the money that thepatient before him or her can cough out. A Chief Press Secretary who tellslies is like in the schools where students have to pay heavily to makingsure they pass their exams to the handouts of the rapacious preceptor. AChief Press Secretary who tells lies is like a clergy in the church thatperverts the sound doctrine of his calling for the pursuit of financialgains.

Since Ugochukwu Emezue has come this far with lies, he has bedeviled myhate for people like him who tell lies, now yarning to make him a friend tohelp him learn how to tell the truth and eschew the fear of losing a jobbecause the success of a man is not measured by his financial acquisitionsbut by the integrity that follows the way he comes about his wealth. I willnot again join issues with him against me unless he did place anadvertorial against me as I have earlier challenged him.